The story of the Waldorf-Astoria begins with a feud. 

In the 1820s, the Astors owned a parcel of land in New York City that included an area of Fifth Avenue between 33rd and 34th Streets. In 1854, William Backhouse Astor divided this lot between his sons John Jacob Astor III and William B. Astor, Jr., who built neighboring mansions. 

From the mansion at the corner of Fifth and 34th, Caroline Schermerhorn Astor ruled Gilded Age New York Society as the “Mrs. Astor.” Her ballroom hosted the parties of the Four Hundred. Her nephew, William Waldorf Astor, lived next door at Fifth and 33rd. There, he wondered why Caroline could continue to call herself “Mrs. Astor,” when, as he was head of the family by 1890, his wife Mamie would be the “Mrs. Astor.” Caroline, eighteen years older, was not going to cede seniority to Mamie. So, as one does, William Waldorf Astor tore down his father’s mansion, built a hotel on the property, and left the country for England.

The Waldorf Hotel opened on March 13, 1893. At 225 feet high, and with 450 guest rooms and 15 public rooms, it dwarfed Mrs. Astor’s mansion. The Empire Room, enormous and lavishly adorned, gained a reputation as one of the best restaurants in the city. 

But the Waldorf was not exactly an immediate success. For one, Society did not gather in public spaces like hotels for events. Secondly, the Waldorf’s location at Fifth Avenue and 33rd Street was considered too far uptown for businessmen. (It was a whopping three miles to the New York Stock Exchange building.) 

Hotelier George Boldt had a plan. He inaugurated the Waldorf with a benefit concert for St. Mary’s Hospital for Children, an organization especially popular with Society. Guests paid $5 to attend the concert, and suddenly the idea of gathering in a hotel ballroom was not that bad. He also hired Oscar Tschirky as the maître d’hôtel. Oscar knew how to run a restaurant. He is credited with the creation of the Waldorf Salad and with popularizing Thousand Island Dressing. Known as “Oscar of the Waldorf,” he served in his role until his retirement in 1943. 

Mrs. Astor, now living next to a hotel, was beside herself. Eventually, she and son Jack (John Jacob Astor IV) demolished their own mansion and moved further uptown. In its place was the even larger Astoria Hotel, 270 feet high with 25 public rooms and 550 guest rooms. One of its dining rooms was an absolute recreation of the dining room from the demolished mansion, carpets and all. 

The two hotels were combined with a corridor nicknamed Peacock’s Alley and became known as the Waldorf-Astoria. With a thousand guest rooms, it was the largest hotel in the world at the time, and it was the place to be for New York’s wealthy and visiting dignitaries. Women especially flocked to tea time at the Waldorf-Astoria. Encouraged by Louise Boldt, the hotel became a space for women to gather in public without escorts. They enjoyed billiards and table tennis and being seen in Peacock’s Alley. 

But the era of the Waldorf-Astoria didn’t last especially long. By the 1920s, the property was already dated by new advances in technology and rival hotels. In 1929, the hotels were sold off and demolished to make way for some gaudy monstrosity called the Empire State Building. A new Waldorf-Astoria was constructed on Park Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets. So I guess this header has a sequel.